Hello my friends, family and supporters,
This past week (in November) was an adventure in patience, perseverance, learning, and experiencing God's mercy...oh did I mention patience??
A fellow missionary (Ana)here in Costa Rica, needed help in repairing her ministry camp in the wilderness near the Nicaraguan border. it had been flooded, and one boat had been destroyed also.
It's about 1/2 hour river trip, but that's after a 1 hour driving over one of the bumpiest road I've driven on here in Costa Rica into the wilderness. From my center, near San Jose, it's about a 2&1/2 hr trip to Ana's house. Sunday we drove to Ana's house where we stayed the night.
I took 3 of the men from me center, and after I eliminated the men who couldn't go, three of them volunteered. One (Louise) has changed all together for Christ and is a good worker and leader, (knows construction), the other two are working on it, and are good workers.
Monday the four of us packed in my truck (type SUV) and after 1 & 1/2hours we arrived at the river. After packing the boat with supplies, we took a 1/2 hour boat trip up river to the ministry camp. The river is about 30ft high right now, and the stairs at the landing have been pretty much destroyed, so to get from the boat to the landing we us a 15ft rope to pull are way up the embankment using what is left of the old stairway, plus all the supplies. Wow, it was a little hairy.!!
After all that, I instructed the men on what was needed to repair the stairway from the river to the landing. I showed them how to do it and gave them enough other work for the week. After lunch, Ana, me and the boat driver headed back to town to buy more building material and to get the trailer to haul cement block plus cement plus rock and sand in buckets(to mix the cement) up to the dock.
Back in town I get a trailer hitch welded on my truck, (Ana's 4x4 brakes are gone). the guy finishes installing the hitch as it's getting dark. when I drive away, my lights don't work and my battery is discharging and my starter quit working. At first I thought the welder screwed it up, but after checking he was off the hook.
Now I had to find a person who could cut the hole in the metal hitch for the towing ball, it was 5pm, and find a car Electrician... Good Luck!!?? In the dark I drive from one place to another ... very slowly with only parking lights. Everyone is helpful and they direct me to a good Mechanic.. He's closed (6pm)
The next day Ana is going to San Jose to have an eye operation, I was to take her, but no car, as my car is at the electricians garage. Ana leaves on the bus, all is OK.
I wait around till 3:30 when he calls me... car is ready.... He had to rebuild the starter and the generator and fix a few wires. It runs great and all for just $100.00, that's $400 in the states, maybe more.
I help buy chicken feed, rice, beans and coffee for the camp. We then load the trailer (5:30pm)with all the material, about 600lbs of material plus four men. We hook it up to my Galloper and off we go to the river. the road allows about 15mph. We unload at the dock, in the dark (after 7:00pm) I hold the lights as the men load the boat. I start back alone,(8pm) and about half way back ... hahaha.... the trailer hitch falls off!!!! It's raining... After a bit I praise God and give thanks, that it held together till after we delivered the material... I flatten the tires to help prevent stealing, and drive back to the house and bed.
In the morning I get the guy to re-weld the hitch, but with heavier welding rod. He feels bad... I then head out to to retrieve the trailer... Praise God it was still there. I fill the tires with air and return to the house. By then the boat arrives in town with the missionary couple who are helping Ana at the camp. Ana also returns on the bus from San Jose and using the trailer again we haul a freezer and bags of cement from the house to the boat and load it up.
They head up river, and I start heading back to San Jose.I will return the following Sunday to retrieve the men from the camp. All in all it was a great adventure with God and a learning time for all. I know they are learning a lot while working / serving our Lord in the back woods. It will help in there self esteem and build up there character and faith in there recovery as they see God in Action, all around them.
Five days later I pick the men up and we head home. They had installed most of the top part of the stairway and fixed some other fixtures at the camp
I pray you all had a great Thanksgiving
Blessings
Keith
